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Monday, August 26, 2013

Have you noticed that the shape of that
container of juice or peanut butter looks different or smaller than
is used to? Have you also noticed that the ounces per container
seems to be going down, yet the cost is still the same if not more?
This is because many companies are subtly changing their packaging so
that they are selling less product yet keeping the cost the same,
ultimately making more profit for them.

Like most consumers, I don't like this practice. When they
change the packaging or size, they don't let you know about it. If
they do, they try to pass it off as a "new design".
Sometimes they keep the same package but just put less inside. You
have probably noticed when you open a bag of chips there are not
nearly as many as your thought there would be inside.

Companies make the excuse that the cost
of products is increasing so they either have to raise the prices or
make the products smaller and sell them for the same price. Neither
is a great option but if they raised the prices at least it would be
straight forward and not sneaky. Keep an eye on the products you buy
often. Make note of how many ounces they have so when they do try to
sneak a change in there, you will know.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

The weekly planner is an invaluable
tool when it comes to staying organized and keeping track of
everything that needs to be done each week. I have been using these
for years and I would be lost without them. It started with the
Chandler's Assignment Notebook that was used in school to keep track
of assignments. After high school and college I still used these
only instead of writing down homework, I wrote down daily tasks and
appointments.

The Chandler was perfect but then a few
years back, they stopped making them. Since then, I have have had to
search for whatever was the best replacement. Every year it seems
I'm getting a different brand of weekly planner. They are becoming
more and more difficult to find and when you do find them, they are
usually pretty expensive. I miss the days when you could get one for
$5 or $6. Now they start around $11 or $12 for a decent sized
scheduler.

So recently I ended up with one of
these planners that ends at the end of August. I started looking for
a replacement but as mentioned above, there are not many options. I
started looking for printable weekly planners. You would think they
would have a good template for a planner online, but after a lot of
searching, I came up with nothing. The templates just didn't have
what I was looking for.

Finally I just decided to make my own.
I created a simple layout with a horizontal page and table to divide
the days of the week. I added the days and room to fill in the month
and the numbers. Then I printed it out. I kept it minimal to save
on ink costs. Overall I was pleased with the result. I used a
regular calender to help fill in the date details. After about 10
minutes I had a new weekly planner for the rest of the year. Total
cost: about 17 pages of paper and a little ink. Not bad. You can download the printable weekly planner here.

So what is the future of calendars?
Some say digital is the way to go by using the calendar features on
mobile phones, tablets, and computers. These can be useful especially
when you have the same information to copy from week to week. They
are also easier to edit and make changes. Personally I still much
prefer the hard copy with the paper and I'll tell you why.

The paper planner is faster. You don't
need to turn it on and open an application just to access it. The
traditional planner does not need to be charged or have a power
supply. You don't have to worry about it crashing or needing
software updates. It won't become obsolete if you get a new device.
It's easier to see without having to do any scrolling or swiping.
These are some of the reasons I will stick with the old fashion
weekly planners.

What are your thoughts on this issue?
Leave them in the comments below.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Why is it that some employers are so
resistant to tell prospective employees how much they pay until the
last minute? Personally I think this is one of the most important
factors when deciding on a place to work and should be clearly
disclosed right from the beginning on the job listing. I have had
some experience with this topic that I would like to share here in
this article.

Years back I applied for a new job. It
was an entry level tech position in a school district. They did not
say how much they paid, but I was hoping it would be at least as much
if not more than what I was currently making at the time. So I took
the time to fill out the application and a couple weeks later was
lucky enough to get called in for an interview.

At this time I had not much experience
with interviews. I didn't know that it is generally not a good idea
to bring up salary unless they do. So in the middle of the interview
when they asked if I had any questions, I asked how much they paid.
I made it clear that I was only asking because it was not displayed
anywhere such as the job listing. Immediately after I asked the
question, I could tell the interviewer was turned off by me asking
such a question. She did tell me, but mentioned how that kind of
thing would be discussed later in the process.

We continued on with the rest of the
interview. I ended up not getting offered that job, but here's the
thing, when she told me how much they paid, it was less than I
expected and less than I was currently making at my previous job. If
I had known that ahead of time, I may not have even applied for the
job in the first place, let alone gone in for an interview.

This is why I think employers need to
be up front about salary and how much they pay. When they keep it
undisclosed, you end up with a situation that could potentially be
wasting everyone's time. Like I said before, if I had known how
little they were offering, I probably would not have spent the hours
applying, preparing, and interviewing. They also would have saved on
unnecessary interview time.

This was just a little rant that came
to my mind after observing the same kind of situation today when
someone was asking a job interviewer how much they would be paid and
the interviewer, dismissed them by saying they would discuss it at a
later time. I still say salary information is very basic and
important information that should be transparent to job seekers right
from the beginning. It's not a secret. Hiding it just ends up
wasting people's time.